Search This Blog

The On Demand Economy Uber Taxis & Air BnB

Air BnB in my previous article and Uber are changing the way we live our lives every day this " on demand economy " might not sound comfortable to many, though recent research results published by University of Princeston, on taxi drivers who have adopted, this game changer technology will give you pause, to think again.

Below are some of the key findings in the report, that make for interesting reading

Women make up 14 percent of Uber's driver-partners, which exceeds the percentage of taxi drivers and chauffeurs who are women in those markets (eight percent), but is less than the share of women in the workforce overall.

Women driver-partners were more likely than men to highlight the need for flexibility as a reason for becoming a partner with Uber, but both men and women appear to value the opportunity to set their own schedule. For example, 42 percent of women and 29 percent of men said that a major reason for driving with Uber was that they “can only work part-time or flexible schedules” because of a “family, education, or health reason.” Further, female driver-partners

corporate responsability & best practice at its best

Half of Uber’s driver-partners are married, which is slightly below the corresponding figure for taxi drivers and chauffeurs, but close to the figure for all workers, probably, at least in part, a reflection of the varying age distributions. On the other hand, Uber’s driver-partners are slightly more likely to have children under the age of 18 living with them at home (Q17) than are taxi 9 drivers and chauffeurs.16 Additionally, 71 percent of Uber’s driver-partners reported that they support financial dependents (Q19).

Partnering with Uber appears to have affected driver-partners in other positive ways as well. Nine times as many said Uber had improved, rather than hurt, their sense of confidence (56 percent versus six percent); nearly six times as many said that it had made better, rather than worse, their overall quality of life (58 percent versus 10 percent); and more than five times as many said that it had strengthened, rather than weakened, their sense of financial security (61 percent versus 11 percent) (Q28).

Among those reporting an ethnic/racial background, Uber's driver-partners were more likely to identify their ethnicity/race as White Non-Hispanic than were taxi drivers and chauffeurs in the same areas, although they were less likely to identify as White Non-Hispanic than the workforce as a whole in those areas.17 Uber’s driver-partners were less likely to identify as Black/African American Non-Hispanic than were taxi drivers and chauffeurs while the percentages who identified as Asian or Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino were similar for the two groups. Looking beyond the 20 areas, the ethnic/racial composition of taxi drivers and chauffeurs in the United States as a whole closely matches that of Uber’s driver-partners who responded to the BSG survey.18 Uber's driver-partners are highly educated.

Nearly half of Uber's driver-partners (48 percent) have a college degree or higher, considerably higher than the corresponding percentage for taxi drivers and chauffeurs (18 percent), and above that for the workforce as a whole as well (41 percent). Only 12 percent of Uber's driver-partners have a high school degree or less, whereas over half (52 percent) of taxi drivers and chauffeurs have a high school degree or less. Seven percent of Uber's driver-partners are currently enrolled in school, mostly taking classes toward a four-year college degree or higher.

Seven percent of Uber's driver-partners are veterans of the armed services, and one percent are members of the reserves. In addition, six percent of driver-partners have household members who are military veterans, three percent have household members who are active duty members of the armed services, and two percent have household members in the reserves. Uber has made an effort to attract veterans, and it may be having some effect. Based on the ACS data, five percent of taxi drivers and chauffeurs—and the same percentage of all workers—in the 20 areas BSG surveyed are veterans.